North Korean remote IT worker scheme
Subject in Technology
North Korean remote IT worker scheme has come up in 1 episode across 1 podcast in TMT, including To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll. 7 people have made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Michael BarnhartNation-state insider threat investigator who tracks North Korean hackers and IT workers
Barnhart argues North Korea is better understood as a cyber syndicate than as a conventional government.
“I think understanding that North Korea is a cyber syndicate and less of an actual government or a nation”
To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll: Ep. 1: Strange Things Are Happening (Jun 9, 2026) · Listen from 37:09
Barnhart estimates each North Korean IT worker has about seven personas and says companies often have multiple 'workers' who are the same person.
“I'd say for every IT worker, there's probably seven personas attached to it”
To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll: Ep. 1: Strange Things Are Happening (Jun 9, 2026) · Listen from 38:07
Andrew ScottFormer U.S. intelligence official who tracked Chinese and North Korean cyber threats
Scott argues Americans discount North Korean cyber sophistication, viewing it as isolated and impoverished when it is highly capable.
“We think of them as impoverished, when in reality, They are incredibly capable”
To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll: Ep. 1: Strange Things Are Happening (Jun 9, 2026) · Listen from 5:54
Nicole PerlrothFormer New York Times lead cybersecurity reporter, author of This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends, and host of To Catch a Thief
Perlroth says a Treasury report found the regime withholds 90% of each worker's salary and a UN panel estimated about half a billion dollars a year from IT workers.
“A treasury report found that the regime withholds 90% of each worker's salary”
To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll: Ep. 1: Strange Things Are Happening (Jun 9, 2026) · Listen from 50:32
Steve StoneSenior vice president of threat intelligence at SentinelOne
Stone says SentinelOne saw more than 300 personas submit over a thousand applications in the first half of 2025.
“At just our company, we have seen more than 300 personas submit more than a thousand applications”
To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll: Ep. 1: Strange Things Are Happening (Jun 9, 2026) · Listen from 50:11
Charles CarmichaelChief technology officer of Mandiant
Carmichael says most Fortune 500 companies he speaks with have unintentionally hired a North Korean IT worker, and he assumes those that deny it are simply unaware.
“Most of the organizations that I talk to that are Fortune 500 companies say we've unintentionally hired a North Korean IT worker”
To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll: Ep. 1: Strange Things Are Happening (Jun 9, 2026) · Listen from 35:16
Nick CarlsonFormer FBI analyst specializing in North Korean hacking
Carlson says the FBI treated North Korea as a low priority compared with Russia and China, even though its hackers are among the best in the world.
“This is, in its heart, it's a tech venture. This is a criminal cyber startup. And these guys are crushing it”
To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll: Ep. 1: Strange Things Are Happening (Jun 9, 2026) · Listen from 30:02
Adam MeyersHead of counter-adversary operations at CrowdStrike
Meyers says CrowdStrike identified 700 instances of remote IT workers getting jobs in 2025, which he estimates at about $105 million for the weapons program.
“In 2025, CrowdStrike identified 700 instances of remote IT workers getting jobs at organizations”
To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll: Ep. 1: Strange Things Are Happening (Jun 9, 2026) · Listen from 50:50
Podcasts
- To Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll · 1 episode
Episodes
Ep. 1: Strange Things Are HappeningTo Catch a Thief: North Korea On Our Payroll · Jun 9, 2026 · 54 min
Nicole Perlroth and cybersecurity experts trace how North Korean operatives secured remote IT jobs at U.S. companies to fund the regime's weapons programs.